Frozen III: Long Live the Queen
by VampiruLover
Summary: Part 1 of a trilogy. This story follows the events closely after the 'Great Flood'. Anna's ascension and Elsa's abdication. A dangerous plot has been looming in the six years during Elsa's reign. Will a new monarch stifle the plot or will it accelerate the devilish plans? Explore the past to find the answers for the future. Angst Driven.
1. Prologue

oOPrologueOo

"Okay, all set. Elsa, you ready to go?"

"Anna...I need to stay here..." Elsa lowered her eyes to her hands, her voice dropping off slightly as she lost confidence in her decision.

"Wh-what? Why?" Anna turned away from Sven, the loyal reindeer having gotten a most royal treatment from the Northulhdran to ensure he was fit for the return journey.

"There are answers...I need to find..." Elsa flicked her eyes up, plucking subconsciously at her fingertips.

"But we can find them together...at home..." Anna approached slowly, cautiously her hands coming gently to still the nervous habit.

"No Anna...the answers I seek are found in the past...Besides... Arendelle needs you... You're the rightful Queen..." The touch calmed the newly anointed Spirit, her fingers gently lacing.

"No...no, I don't believe that. Look at all you've done!" Anna didn't care if she was heard, though she did glance around most of the Northulhdran were busy with their daily tasks, preparing to move once more to explore their newly freed home.

"Anna...I need to show you something... Something I was able to bring back from Ahtohollan..." Her hands tightened.

"Okay...?" Anna worried her bottom lip as Elsa began to pull them into the tree-line out of the village.

Anna could feel the air around them growing tenser the further they walked from the camp. A small clearing opening up between them as Elsa turned to face her once more. A soft smile ticked at her lips before she reached into her bodice pulling free a small crystal-like snowflake.

Anna's eyes glittered with wonder as the flake took flight, spinning slowly refracting in the sunlight that came through the cleared sky. The small flurry of magic grew exponentially before her, creating two shapes that took her only a moment to recognize.

"Mother….Father…" Anna's feet led her just a bit closer, her hands coming up under her chin as the snow-formed memories began to speak.

_"Darling I've been thinking…It might be time to tell Anna about Elsa…"_

Anna's body trembled to the familiar sound of her mother's voice. Her hand coming up to her lips to stifle her gasp as tears began to sting at her eyes.

_"I can't bear keeping her shut out anymore." Iduna's voice lowered with strife, her hands running up Agnarr's arms, "She's maturing now. She can be responsible."_

_"It's not Anna I'm worried about." Her father woefully replied, his own brow furrowed with concern._

Anna's hand lowered down over her heart, something in his words striking somewhere deep inside, someplace painful that she couldn't readily describe.

_"What if we let them get close again, and the feelings are too much for Elsa?"_

Anna approached her parents slowly, her eyes searching for any hidden truths in the snow and ice that made up their forms.

_"Joy brings her powers out as strongly as fear." Agnarr's hands tightened on Iduna's._

_"But if anyone can find a way to help her," Iduna pulled away from her husband, her body turning directly in front of Anna, as though the spirits above had come down from the heavens to guide the memory themselves, "It's Anna."_

Anna's heart skipped and thudded painfully to her mother's words of encouragement. Her eyes turning towards her father who seemed to brighten up at the mere mention of her name.

_"You may be right about that." Agnarr's tone lifted, he too turning to face what his future daughter had become, "There's not much that girl can't do."_

_"Her love could hold up the world." Iduna's eyes turned straight into Anna's then, though only a memory the feeling that shone through the snow carried across time._

_"Lucky for the world."_ There was so much love and pride her Agnarr's voice as he came to stand behind his wife.

Tears that had been threatening to fall, finally broke themselves free and ran in heated rivers down Anna's face. She'd never heard her parents speak so candidly about her, about either of them. Though still, it was bittersweet as it settled into her heart. It's beat praying that the memory would not end there.

_"Okay, we'll tell her when we return."_

As her mother and father embraced the memory began to fade away back into the ether. The magical crystals of ice floating off back towards Ahtohallan. Anna's lip trembled as she attempted to process everything but it was an impossible task. Her body turned slowly back toward Elsa who smiled at her so proudly, though she couldn't help but notice the darkness of sadness in the very corner of her eyes. Despite this, she quickly wrapped her arms around her neck and released a sniffled sob into her throat.

"Thank you…So much for that…"

"They believed in you Anna," Elsa's voice was gentle beside her ear a tight squeeze punctuating her words before she pulled back just enough to see into her sister's teary face, "And so do I…"

Anna sniffled again and wiped hastily at her nose and eyes, "I know but…"

"I always have…You're everything I can never be." Elsa smiled softly and lowered her head to press against her sister's quivering brow, "You can do this…"

Anna's throat choked heavily with tears, her eyes closing tight as the weight of all she had suffered through finally came crashing down in one swift breathtaking moment. Her arms returned to claw at her sister's back as she pulled them back together. Her voice muffled into silken hair, her words unintelligible as the grief and joy mixed together in a heart-wrenching sound.

"I love you so much," Elsa held her close, leaning her temple into Anna's own, merely holding on to give her the strength she needed at that moment.

"I love you, too…."

Their moment stretched on as the sun continued to turn the forest red around them. Anna's hold eventually relaxed though her arms still remained around her sister's waist. Her head nestled perfectly along her bared shoulder. Her eyes blurry from her tears as she attempted to count the light speckle of freckles long the bone. When a small noise turned her eyes away. Her lips quirked with a soft smile as Kristoff came through the brush.

"Hey…everything alright?" Kristoff wanted nothing more than to wrap Anna into his own arms and when she pulled away from Elsa, he opened them to receive her.

Elsa watched on, standing alone once more. Her hands coming down to clasp gently in front of her, the warmth of her sister slowly fading away. This is what had to be. This was how it was always meant to be. Why did it taste so bitter-sweet?

Anna let out a soft grunt as Kristoff wrapped her tight but her head turned back to look at Elsa. Something about the way she was stood there made her heart twist painfully. A reassuring glance extended out her hand, her fingers motioning for Elsa to join them.

Elsa didn't see the gesture at first, having lowered her eyes to give her sister a more private moment with her new fiance. She'd debated briefly on whether she should excuse herself when the small movement caught the corner of her eye. When she finally raised her head her heart pulsed with love her body moving outside of her command to join them. This was her family, the one they had made from all the broken pieces of their life. This was everything Elsa had left in the world.

Anna held on tight, pulling her just a step closer though not into Kristoff's embrace. Eyes that had shone with ambivalence filling with pure love. The most important people in her world standing beside her. She offered Elsa the brightest smile her tear-stained face could manage before resting her head down onto her shoulder. Kristoff's arm around her lower back. It was perfection…

Kristoff wasn't sure what to do with his free arm, the hug he'd shared with Elsa at her return was more than a bit awkward for the both of them. It wasn't that he didn't care for her, but it was definitely nowhere near how he cared for her sister. They shared a small look before he let his arm hang at his side, leaving the new Spirit to merely stand in front of him.

"So…Yelena's offered to let us stay with them tonight so that we could get a fresh start in the morning…"

"She has?" Anna tilted her head up, "That's so nice of her."

"We should do it." Elsa forced a small smile over her lips, "It is late…I'm sure the people of Arendelle know it's safe to return now…"

"How _do _they know that?" Anna hadn't gotten a full report from her sister just yet, her eyes narrowing just a little when Elsa chewed on her lower lip.

"I sort of made an ice wall…that blocked all the water from the dam's breaking?"

"YOU WHAT?" Anna pulled away, her red-rimmed eyes going wide with absolute awe and wonder, "You can do that?"

"Well…Nokk helped…a lot." Elsa chuckled softly and brushed away a stray tear that had somehow clung onto the rise of Anna's cheek, "I'm sure the people will be fine for one night."

Anna didn't much like the tone of loss filling her sister's tone, "Yeah, one more night. _Together_."

"One more night."


	2. Chapter 1

_"I promise I won't go too far..."__ Elsa wiped her sister's tears, her palm gently cradling her flushed cheek._

_"Yeah? You promised me that before...and you DIED!"_

_"Anna... you've always believed in me...and it's time for me to believe in myself...I need to do this. For me, for us...please...I don't need you to protect me...I need your belief in me... Your love for me..."_

_"Oh, Elsa...I will always love you..."_

_"Then let me do this...give me time...to...find the answers to the questions I've __carried__ all my life..."_

oO The Great Flood: One week past Oo

"What is this?" Anna couldn't help the hurt and almost raw anger filling her words as she held a document outlining the procedures for abdication that she'd found poorly hidden on Elsa's desk among all manner of other matters that her sister had dutifully returned to.

Elsa winced visibly coming to her feet, she had wanted to talk to her about it when things had settled...as it was there seemed no hiding it now, "You know what it is. We've talked about this..."

"I didn't think you'd actually go through with it." Anna's voice peaked an octave, "I mean, you'd just come back from the dead and everything was moving so fast and..."

"I'm no good for Arendelle." Elsa's expression was blank, her eyes solidly placed down at her pen where she signed another trade agreement into action.

"How can you say that? You're a wonderful Queen! Everyone loves you, our borders are strong, trade is good. The people are happy." Anna was bristling.

"My very first official night I set off an eternal winter. I destroyed crops and made scores of people sick." Elsa defended, curling her arms tight around her waist. Her eyes flickered towards her sister who felt much too tall coming in front of her.

"No one blames you for any of that." She soothed.

"It doesn't matter what they think, Anna. I know what I did. Could have done." She didn't dare to move, her words soft but strong, eyes turning back towards the stack of papers.

"Elsa you're not thinking clearly..." A weight began to pull on Anna's shoulders, an old pain resurfacing.

"Am I not? What about the Nattmarra?"

"That was..." A grimace punctuated her failing argument.

"Just as, if not more so devastating. The people were completely taken over by its magic and I could do nothing! In fact, my magic made it worse. What would Arendelle be without you? You saved not only me, but everyone else both times..." Elsa was clearly winning but her face did not show victory, rather defeat as she gave pause to let the words sink in just a bit deeper into her sister.

"I can't rule in fear of what my magic can do... If I didn't have these powers...I wouldn't even be ruling at all!" Elsa's stomach twisted as desperation filled her tone.

"Now wait a minute. I will not let you take the blame for our parents. They lied to us, kept secrets from us. Kept us as secrets from each other. They did far more lasting damage than anything your magic has done." Like heat to a flame, her heart pounded righteously.

"Anna..."

"No!" Her hand slammed hard onto the desk, the violent noise of it making both of them flinch, though Anna recovered first, "If you'd been allowed to grow into your powers instead of against them we wouldn't even be having this conversation right now." Anna could feel their battlefield shifting, her eyes wide with conviction.

"I cannot change the past, all I can do is make the next right decision. For Arendelle." Elsa's back straightened to the challenge, slowly putting the chair between them, her stance growing firm so as not to fall under her sister's gaze.

"If I refuse?"

"Would you? Truly?"

They stared hard at each other. Elsa's regal and commanding posture easily dwarfing that of her sister's defensive stance. As expected, Anna lowered her eyes first though her fists clenched tight to her sides.

"I don't want this..."

"It is the right thing."

"I don't _care_..." Her voice cracked like a stubborn child, her eyes raising for only a second before burning into the polished wood between them.

"You said... that you didn't want to stop me from being what I needed to be..." The sharpness in Elsa's tone curved to a softer caress but there was an anger, a frustration along its blade.

"And I still don't..." Tears choked the princesses' throat, her body trembling from restraint.

"Then set me free..." Elsa held out her hands, as though they were bound, her eyes shimmering with her own tears.

Anna shook her head as she took hold over the invisible shackles, unable to resist her sister's reach. A deep sob bubbled up her throat before she raised her head, searching for anything that she could possibly say to make her stay.

"Be my hero once again..." Elsa knew how incredibly selfish her request was. How unbelievably unfair it was to place such a burden on such a free spirit that was her sister. She knew it down to the very pit of her soul. Still, she knew she had to make this choice. She had to give her sister the promise of a brighter tomorrow. One free of fear and of the unknown. To free her of something she could never truly be apart of. To turn her beloved Knight into a King as it were. She deserved everything the title held and more.

Anna could no longer restrain herself, her hands pulling furiously hard so that her sister crashed into her with enough force to skip both their hearts. Her fingers clawed harshly against snow-white skin as she held her tight. Much softer but still clinging arms coming under her own to hold her head into a rapidly beating pulse.

"I can't live this life without you..." Anna breathed in her sister's soft scent, jasmine and lilac.

"You will always have me... I will always be beside you..." Elsa pressed into deep summer hair, sandalwood and lavender filling her senses.

Another heartbroken sob pressed into Anna's throat and she took a steadying breath, "Please..."

Another heavy silence stretched between them, their hold on the other never waning. After what felt like years, Anna was able to compose herself well enough to speak, "I don't want the priest..."

"Anna..."

"No... if I'm going to do this... It has to be you... You're just as—no, more than holy to give me this honor..."

"I will do what I can..."

"You do this... for me..." Anna pulled her head back, her fierce determination reflecting in deep crystal waters.

"For you, anything..." Elsa pressed her lips solidly between furrowed brows before lowering her forehead to nuzzle softly between them, "I love you..."

Anna smiled reluctantly, her eyes closing to the feeling of her sister's words against her trembling lips, "I love you, too..."

Their breaths slowed, the silence between them no longer carrying any weight. A resolution, a promise shared between two fractured hearts.

"Come on, my little sunshine... It's late..." Elsa pulled gingerly at the arms that still held her close, tightly winding their fingers together as she took a small step back. A soft sniffle of her own causing her to raise their joined hands to wipe away her own tears.

"Can I sleep with you?" Anna wiped at her nose with her own arm, her hold tightening.

"What about Kristoff...?"

"Please?" Anna knew the other love of her life was waiting for her in her own room. Despite having his own, as it wasn't seen a proper for them to share a bed in their present state, despite his proposal.

"Alright." A gracious smile chased away the shadows still flickering behind her eyes.

oOo

During the deepest part of the morning, Elsa found herself trapped somewhere between the waking and resting world. Deep darkness behind her eyes while everything else around felt sharply focused. A rhythmic weight pressed down against her back, out of sync with her forced shallow breaths. The heat running down her spine and the bend of her legs, like a shadow perfectly formed. The warmth that had built beneath the sheets which had come up to her temple sometime during the night making the air that she was able to get into her lungs thick nearly suffocating.

"Anna...?" Elsa pushed as best as she could with her hands that had become partially trapped under her chin from their combined weight, "Anna...I can't breathe..."

"That should make my job much easier."

Elsa's eyes snapped open with a furious crescendo of her heart. A name dead on her lips replaced with a strangled yelp that was painfully swallowed down. The result of which caused a not too pleasant choke as she struggled to right her breathing.

"Mm... Elsa?" Anna shifted in her wild starfish pose. Her back tilted against her sister's, one arm dangling over the top of the sheets that pressed against Elsa's chin. Her leg was bent most ungraciously against her sister's backside, further trapping the praying angle into bed. While it wasn't uncommon for Anna to somehow lay over top of her sister this was one of the more unique poses to date. Considering she'd been gently holding Elsa from behind when they'd settled down to sleep.

Elsa grunted softly as she pushed for real this time, pulling at the sheets to free her face so that she could take in a breath of cool air. The action causing her sister to pull back her arm with a wet smack of her lips before releasing a disoriented moan.

"Anna... you're crushing me..." Elsa pushed again, a bit stronger this time, as her body began to come awake. The voice from her dream fading quickly into obscurity.

Anna relented to the push, rocking onto her side for a moment only to reach out blindly for the warmth that had been taken from her, "Don't... go..."

Elsa jumped slightly when the arms she'd managed to free from her person came back. Heavy and fumbling they wormed their way beneath the pillow under her head and across her modest breast. Her entire body sparking when Anna's fingers dug into the soft flesh as though taking hold of a cliff's edge.

"Anna..."

"Five more minutes..." Still nowhere near conscious, the fire-brunette nuzzled her cheek into the slip of skin along the rounded neckline of her sister's nightdress. A heavy sigh of content wafting the hair that hid away the moon-light skin. Her hips bucked slightly as she pulled herself ever closer, perfectly molding herself to Elsa's taller frame.

Knowing there was absolutely no way to win, Elsa took another breath before letting herself relax back down. Though sleep did not come until the rise of dawn. The gentle thump of her sister's heart against her helped to ease the worry in her own.

oOo

Late morning found Anna waking alone. Her arms curled impossibly tight around a pillow that had been left in her sister's stead. A small wooden stick lightly tapping on her hand as the bed shifted heavily from behind.

"Anna? Are you awake?"

"Mmph…Olaf?" Anna pushed her heavy body up, her eyes blinking the tiny snowman into focus, "What's…what's going on?"

"It's time to get up." Kristoff smiled warmly when Anna turned to his voice. Having sat himself behind her in an attempt to wake her up himself.

"OH…oh…" Anna's face ran through the rainbow of emotions before she furiously rubbed at her eyes, "Where's Elsa?"

Kristoff chuckled softly as he helped Anna untangle herself from the sheets, "She's with the council right now. You slept pretty late."

"The council?!" Suddenly remembering their previous conversation Anna was struck with a sudden bolt of energy that had Olaf scrambling out of the way of her legs when she flung them over the side of the bed, "How long ago?"

Kristoff's brows rose high as he came back to his feet, watching his future wife slide her way behind the dressing screen, "Uh…like two hours ago?"

"Two hours!" Anna squawked as she pulled the dress that had been left for her off its stand, it was definitely no every day looking dress.

oOo

"And what of the scouting reports?"

"Thus far our borders seem secure. There have been whispers in the black districts that we're keeping our ear to the stones for." Mattais set down the reports gently over the top of the growing mound of papers that had been settled in front of Elsa.

"Any more information on the Black Phoenix?" A small adjustment of her reading glasses pulled the papers closer, her eyes quickly skimming the words therein with practiced ease.

The men at the table shifted uncomfortably, turning their eyes to the one man who had yet to produce any information. He sat silently with his eyes pointed somewhere beyond where his Queen sat though his ears were listening intently to everything being presented.

Elsa pursed her lips noticing the sudden stillness. She set the papers in her hand to lay flat on the pile. As she turned her own sharp gaze down the long table she, near-instantly locked eyes with the silent man, "Raik?"

"Well, as you know there have been talks-"

Before the man could even begin his report the doors to the council room were thrown open, a very wide-eyed and exerted princess standing between them. All those present both at the long table and along the walls of the room turned to the disruption; the full weight of the council bearing down on Anna in one full second. She nervously wilted before trying to straighten herself up, a half-cocked grin ticking at her lips before she tried to catch her sister's eyes. The only indication that Elsa seemed to acknowledge her at all was the soft sigh and rub to the bridge of her nose as she pulled off her glasses.

"Let's take a break." Elsa pushed herself up slowly, her body crying out in protest for having been sat in such a rigid chair for so long. A small wave of her hand had the stewards opening the doors to the adjoining parlor where food and drinks would be quickly supplied.

Anna sheepishly moved through the small mass of people coming to their feet in murmured agreement. Her lips curled in as she tried to keep her composure. Elsa was the last to move, and for that she was grateful. It took only a few strides to come beside her sister and the soft look of endearment that had been masked was finally revealed.

"Why didn't you wake me?" Anna whispered, falling in step with her sister.

Elsa smirked just a little, "I tried. You threw a pillow at me."

"Oh! Sorry…" Anna grimaced just a little but the hidden smile in the corner of Elsa's lips made her relax, "So what'd I miss? Anything…you know-_important?_"

"You really think we'd discuss that without you here?" Elsa matched her sister's volume before nodding her head in thanks to the men who held open the doors, the pair of them the last through so that they were closed once more. She led them over to one of the chesterfield couches and allowed herself to sit down. The soft cushions immensely helping the crick in her back from the awful wooden chair. Though she didn't allow herself to completely relax, it was definitely more comfortable.

"Well…I don't know how these things are supposed to go…" Anna flopped down next to her before quickly trying to sit herself properly. Her eyes bouncing over to Kai who had raised a brow at her less than graceful movement before he'd bustled off to secure drinks and food for all those present. She let out a small sigh and let her shoulders sag just a little, "You were always better at remembering all the rules than me…"

"You'll be fine Anna. I won't let you go through this alone." Elsa took pity on her sister, though the pout on her lips didn't hurt. She took a small breath and reached between them to take her hand, "I promise, we'll still do this together."

"You keep saying that word…" Anna's hand curled tightly, her voice growing deeper as the sadness from their previous conversations reared itself again, "But I don't think you know what it means…"


	3. Chapter 2

Anna sighed softly to herself, leaning lightly on her crossed knee with her folded arms. Elsa had gone to converse with a few of the council members even though they were supposed to be on a recess. The words she'd whispered to her replaying in her mind on repeat. The more she digested them the more she didn't fault her sister from pulling away from her under the guise of duty.

It was clear that she'd hurt her sister's feelings but her own had been hurt too. Wasn't she allowed to express herself as well? Of course, she knew that Elsa would never deny her that privilege but she also knew that she had about as much tact as a stable-hand down at the pub.

Another sigh sagged her shoulders and she let herself lay back against the leather cushions, her eyes tracking her sister's movements as her mind continued to turn. It wasn't that she didn't want to be Queen. It wasn't like she wouldn't take the responsibility seriously or that she wouldn't do anything to keep the people of Arendelle safe and happy. She just…didn't want Elsa to give up the title without really taking the moment to understand her side of things. Or so she believed, though something deep down in her soul was crying out for her attention. For a deeper meaning to why she felt so resistant to accepting the title. After all, who was she? Just a spare, an heir. Nothing more, nothing less.

Anna's eyes grew darker as she watched her sister move. How tightly her body was wound. How strict her back was when she spoke to people she had no reason to fear. People who had stood beside her every decision for the last six years. Yet still, there was a wall between them. A fear that could barely be seen by way of the minor tick of her right eye. In the way, she still wrung her hands when trying to speak. After all they'd been through, after everything they'd learned about themselves, Elsa was still…afraid…

Elsa glanced slightly behind her, feeling the weight of her sister's eyes on her back. She tried not to look worried but it was an impossible task given the information she was presently being given. She forced her eyes back to Raik her lips pursing as he finished. She nodded her head slightly, unsure of what else could be said at that moment before she turned and made her way to the next member of the council who had something more private to share.

Anna frowned even deeper; whatever was being shared with her sister didn't look good. Her body itched to come to its feet, to try and find out what could be the cause but her mind had other things to worry about. Though try as she might, her own introspective thoughts eluded her. Constantly turning back towards Elsa and the prison that she seemed to be trapped inside. So deep was the impossible tunnel that she'd found herself falling into, she'd not noticed the passing of time, nor her sister's approach.

"Anna?" Elsa's eyes shifted away even though she spoke to get her sister's attention, her focus on the men and women of the council who seemed very content on relaxing as long as possible. No doubt their break would be at least an hour-long, possibly even longer as she noticed the clock and the tell-tale grumbling in her stomach that was signaling lunch's approach.

"Hm?" Anna took a small tart from the tray being offered to her, having declined breakfast in her haste to get to the meeting. She took a small bite as she returned her focus to Elsa who seemed to be looking so far away she might as well have been in another country.

"Could I show you something?" Elsa offered out the tray towards one of the servants who was waiting to be of use along the wall. The young boy took it with a small bow before hastily moving away to give the sister's privacy.

"Of course." Anna offered a small smile and took the hand on offer, bringing herself to her feet. Though she did lower her head down to her palm that was unnaturally cold though Elsa had already released her to walk back towards the council room. A frown began to form as she licked the crumbs from the corner of her lips and moved to follow. She motioned slightly to one of the other servants setting down the pastry on the tray before slipping through the left-open door.

Elsa waited patiently behind the large ornate desk that had become her second home, the papers over the surface neatly stacked and organized. She waited just long enough for Anna to close the door before leaning down to pull open one of the bottom drawers, the key clicking loudly in the lock before she pulled it open.

"What's that?" Anna moved around the side of the desk, tilting her head at her father's crest that had been embossed into the cover.

"Father's personal journal." Elsa's lips ticked just a little. She'd been slowly making her way through the series over the last six years. It was one of many in which her father had recorded his personal thoughts. Though most of the others had recounted his courtship with their mother the latter ones had been more informative on what it meant to him to be King and how he reasoned out his decisions. It was a perfect guide to any monarch. It was also a look into the past without the risk of death.

"I've not seen this one…" Anna, of course, knew of the journals, she'd been forced to read through so many in her youth. She was sure Elsa had too, the office study filled floor to ceiling with all the prior monarchs writings. Only for those of royal blood to see.

"It was the one he'd not finished yet…" Elsa took a small breath and opened it, the binding was still rather stiff and the noise it made her fingers twitch, her body wound up so tight from having to mingle with the council, "It was still in his desk when I…."

Anna offered her the best reassuring smile she could before moving just a bit closer. She wasn't sure why but she just wanted to pull Elsa into a tight embrace and never let her go. She could almost feel the vibration of suppressed magical energy in the air. It was enough to raise the hairs on her arms as she leaned over the desk to take a look at the now-open page.

_Elsa has not left her room for nearly six months now. Iduna and I have grown worried that perhaps there is nothing more we can do to help her control this curse. That everything we've been working towards all these years has been for naught._

_There have been whispers from the neighboring lands about our inquires into the magical realm. A bid for power they say but we cannot defend ourselves so long as we remained a closed Kingdom. Even our closest trade partners are beginning to ask for more than what we can supply in the way of answers._

_The suitors that have written are no longer seeking Elsa's hand but Anna's. She is still young but I believe there is at least some hope that we would be able to find her a suitable prince. Though I wish for her to marry for love above all else, how will she ever get the chance so long as we keep her locked inside this castle?_

_Elsa has made it painfully clear that she has no interest in any of the very suitable young men who have written to her, and now she refuses to even accept letters, cordial or otherwise. Sadly, this is doing nothing but to increase tensions between trade partners, or those who would wish to be our partners._

_My greatest fear, however, is that my eldest daughter might not live to the end of this year. More and more whispers from the guards and the staff have brought rising concerns to her safety even within these walls. Not only from those who might seek to understand why she is isolated, but also, sadly, by her own hand. Even the briefest lapse of concentration seems to be risky for her now, and my wife and I have noticed far too many burns from ice that I care to think about._

_Our research has produced nothing but a prophecy of doom. I fear her fate may already be sealed by the powers that she still struggles to control. There is nowhere she can go now, that her fear does not completely overtake her. How we have failed her so deeply, how I wish I could re-write history. To find a way to rid her of this wretched ice. To bring back my beautiful moon._

Anna could feel tears burning her eyes as she continued to read, the tears of another having already milked the ink in some places. Despite the rising emotion in her throat, her lips began to move outside of her command, her voice soft and heavy, "Anna, my second born, is our only hope now. Her light and love will bring in a new era for Arendelle. We must turn our efforts and attention to her. We have one more effort to save Elsa, one last chance to get this right for her. If we fail, we must prepare both sisters for what the future must be…We need to make sure she's ready for what needs to be done. There is no doubt in my mind now that Anna will be the true Queen of Arendelle…"

Elsa held her breath as she watched a myriad of emotions cross over her sister's face. The one she hadn't expected however, was the pure fury that twisted her beautiful features. Her chest tightened and her entire body jumped when Anna closed the book with a sharp snap, her body instinctively taking a small step back so as to better observe her sister.

"Why do you do this to yourself?" Anna's voice was a dangerous whisper, her body frozen in place as she forced the words through her clenched throat. Her eyes staring so hard at the wood of the desk that had she had any powers at all it surely would have exploded.

"Do what?" Elsa's own voice was nothing more than a wisp along the wind, her throat thick as she held herself even tighter. Her large eyes trying to catch her sister's own but failing.

"Make yourself seem worthless?" Her fingers curled into the leather binding, the pain and unbridled rage in her chest making the air in her lungs burn.

"I'm not...?" Elsa made to approach but found herself only rocking on her feet, her voice too weak to properly put up a defense. Not that she had much of one to begin with.

"You are...This... Why would you show me this?" Anna took a slow breath to try and calm herself; though her volume had grown more level, her heart still hurt in ways she could hardly describe.

"I just...wanted you to know how much mother and father believed in you..." Elsa lowered her eyes towards the journal. It wasn't the first time she'd read about herself from her parent's eyes. Though her mother had remained hopefully optimistic about her circumstance, much like Anna, her father had slowly grown more pessimistic and resigned with each passing year.

"No, I get that—but you know what? They're _dead_." The words felt like poison on her tongue but her heart felt more than vindicated, "I couldn't care less what they thought of me." She turned to face Elsa now; the book that had been kept with reverence being thrown haphazardly across the desk, knocking over a stack of something that was surely important. A small figurine, that she'd always admired as a child when she'd come to play in the room while her father worked toppling to the floor. It was the perfect metaphor for the storm raging inside her now.

Elsa was nearly ready to curl inside herself at the tantrum, her eyes shutting tight to the sound of porcelain shattering. All the strength she'd managed to gather during their trip to the Enchanted Forest the only thing keeping her on her feet now. When warm fingers curled with bruising force into her arms she found herself staring deeply into endless pleading eyes of blue, her heart skipping with how they glistened with unshed tears.

"I only want to know what _you_ think of me," Anna could not resist the urge to shake her sister, wanting her arms to release her sides, to stand tall like she knew she could. She didn't want to hear anything more about how unworthy her sister was of her position. How _broken_ she seemed to be— because to her—she was anything but, "Because you're here with me; right here, right now. I don't want to lose you over this or for anything else."

Elsa swallowed just a little, the air between them growing colder but not enough to freeze, just enough to notice, "I think, Arendelle would be blessed to have a Queen like you." She sniffled just a touch, raising her arms hesitantly to Anna's elbows, "You were born for this. It comes naturally to you. I've seen it, and I'm sure you have too—but you are so wonderful with everyone. It's….truly amazing how well you take control and think things through and…you know where the danger lies and…how to avoid it…You're so strong and confident in your beliefs. There isn't anyone who could shake your core…You're what it means to be a Queen…"

If only Anna could see her as she did. The strength that had come to her shoulders, the determination in her jaw and the love in her eyes. Everything a good queen embodied. Everything Elsa could simply not bring to the table. It just wasn't in her nature. Yes, she was capable of putting on a charade but it took years and years of training, endless tears, and immeasurable amounts of stress. Yet, there Anna sat, comfortable with herself and those around her.

Though Ahtohallan had shown her what it would mean to believe in herself and in her powers; it also showed her what she was truly capable of, what she could become. If she just allowed herself. How she could bring the world together without bearing the weight of a crown she had never wished to wear. It was her duty, a solemn oath that was prepared to live and die by but it wasn't what she wanted to be. What she was meant to be. What she could be.

The world needed Anna more. They needed her love and determination to do what was right. It didn't need any more power; there was plenty of that to go around. No, what the world and Arendelle needed most was a Queen who was led by the power of love, not the sharpness of ice.

Anna's hold relaxed to the confession, "Thank you…" Anna sniffled just a bit wiping at her tears before reaching out to thumb away Elsa's own, "I just…I needed to hear that from you…"

The world around them seemed to tunnel down to just the two of them. Each one going through their own emotional turmoil before their hands met between them. Their fingers lacing together as they took the time needed to just find the right words to say.

"I mean it…you won't be alone…I know that there are things that I need to do elsewhere…but…I'll always find a way to you when you need me. There is nothing nor no one who would ever keep me from your side." Elsa held on tighter, her eyes focused somewhere between them.

"I know that. I knew that from the moment we first talked about this…I was going to tell you today that I was ready to take this on. That I was ready to do this. Not just for the Kingdom. Not for Mother or Father…but for _us._" Anna ducked her head to try and catch Elsa's eye, "I love you, for all that you're meant to be and if that means that I wear the crown and you dance in under the stars, then I'm ready for it. Wholly and truly."

Elsa finally raised her head to meet her sister's gaze, the love between them stronger than the mightiest sword, taller than the highest mountain, deeper than the darkest sea. Distance made no difference when it came to the bond between them. Either one would move heaven and earth just to see that the other was where they needed to be, that they never felt alone. It was their secret promise.

oOOo

"This council, is officially resumed." Elsa took her place with a barely audible sigh, her eyes flicking over to Anna who sat down with near-perfect grace. It was hard to believe that nearly three years ago the young princess was tripping over her own skirts and yet now she sat nearly as perfect as she. Though Elsa was able to see the subtle shifting as the younger adjusted to the hardness of the chairs, she'd definitely grown into a very respectable woman of privilege.

Elsa pursed her lips as she looked out at the council. Now standing as the meeting had resumed though she held in her hand the papers for her abdication. Anna was nearly vibrating in her seat at her right, her jaw set as they both awaited the result of the right thing in their life.

Elsa took a steadying breath and set her shoulders, "I'm sure some of you might find the information about to be shared with you to be oncoming. Though some of you might have objections, take note that this decision has not been made in haste," She glanced at Anna who nodded ever so slightly for her to continue, " As of this day, I am hereby renouncing my right to the crown and abdicating to my sister; the next in line and heir— Anna of Arendelle."


	4. Chapter 3

oO December Oo

"I'll only be gone a week, I promise. I'm just going to visit the Northulhdra and Ahtohollan. I'll be back by Friday for family game night." Elsa smiled patiently at her sister's impetuous face.

"Why can't I go with you?" Always the younger sister, she made sure to put her pout on full force knowing that her sister was weak to it.

"Because you're busy. Didn't you just say to me, 'I think I'm ready to do this on my own'? You've got two diplomatic meetings with the Kingdom of Zaria that you cannot afford to reschedule. Besides, you know as well as I if I were anywhere in this castle I'd just be a distraction."

"Yeah, but..." Anna whined softly, swinging their joined hands, "I'll miss you..."

"Don't you want answers?" Elsa pressed her lips and raised her brow questioningly, "About everything they hid from us?"

"Of course...but..."

"Anna. You'll be fine." A gentle squeeze calmed her sister's fretting, "How about, you and I taking a small trip to the wishing tree when I get back?" Elsa managed to pull one of her hands free as Nokk came to form behind her, "We can make a whole day of it, just you and me. Chocolates and sandwiches."

"Really?" Excitement filled Anna's face and she couldn't help but bounce slightly.

"Really. Now come on. It'll only be a week." Elsa waited patiently for her sister to finally release her.

"Okay, but if anything goes wrong. You come straight home— to me." Anna puffed out her chest just a bit, "Queen's orders."

Elsa raised a perfectly shaped brow before chuckling softly, "Yes, Your _highness_."

A content sigh finally released their hands and Anna came two steps into the sea as Elsa pulled herself up effortlessly onto her mythical water horse. "One week."

"One week." Elsa reached down ruffling her sister's hair, making her crown sit crooked before she pulled on her reins of ice turning her out into the sea.

Anna pushed the metal back into place before she wrapped her arms around herself with a heavy sigh. Reluctant as she watched the Goddess-like that was her sister disappear into the sun. The worry she felt inside her chest making her frown before strong heavy arms wrapped around her from behind. She tilted her head back with a sad smile pressing her lips for a reassuring kiss.

Always happy to oblige his future wife, Kristoff hummed in his acquiesce and ran his hands down her sides, "It'll be fine."

oOo

Elsa wiped the tears from her eyes as she slipped from Nokk onto the icy bank of Ahtohollan. She had done her very best up until this point dealing with everything that had seemed to come down with the raging force of a broken dam. The irony of the feeling not lost on the newly anointed Spirit.

A humble bow of her head saw the horse that had nearly ended her life dissolving back until the waters that had taken her parents from the world. The dark waters deeply reflected in her winter blue eyes. With a hesitant turn, she faced the mighty walls of the Enchanted cavern, the joy she'd felt the first time she'd stepped foot upon its icy bank fluttering weakly behind the towering weight that now filled her heart.

She needed answers, more than just what was needed to save the Forest. She needed answers for so much of her life that had been taken from her, locked away behind secrets and the desperate desire to do the right thing even if it failed miserably.

She needed the truth behind what really happened the day the forest fell. Not just some child's story passed on at bedtime. No, she needed more than all that. She _deserved_ all that and more. Not just for herself but for Anna too.

The halls that greeted her did so in kind. A gentle humming of magic alighting their walls. Elsa didn't resist running her fingers along with the light buried deep within the ice. Her heart pulsing in time with the mythical power.

Slowly, the first cavern opened up the walls coming to life with moving pictures depicting various memories of her life. Her brows furrowed as she watched the soul-crushing display. A tear growing in the corner of her eye as she tried to find the right words to call them away.

Whether on either side of fortune's coin, the lights therein went dark as soon as she raised a hand. Her magic coming forth without command opening up a different pathway that she had not traversed before. Cautious to the perils they lie deep into the core of Ahtohollan, she stepped forward taking the acute-angled path.

The ice that closed its walls glowed a deep blue she'd only seen in the coldest of ice, though her breath did not mist in front of her, nor did she feel it upon her skin. It was as though she were merely moving alongside herself, rather than inside herself.

A faint noise from up ahead snapped her attention into the deep blues farther ahead, her ears straining to make out what it was the voice was saying. As her pace grew so did the feverish pitch of the voice and before she'd even realized an image of a young girl was running alongside her.

"Mother..."

Sounds began to echo down the corridor with concussive force causing her step to falter just a step. Her eyes wide as the image of her mother continued on, her pace aided by the memory playing along the wall. The sounds of screams were growing now and Elsa's heart rose with their pitch. The sounds of battle-of war.

Her legs pulsed as she doubled her stride, the sharp-angled walls opening up to a room that no one would believe, even though it stood so brilliantly before her. Tall panels of ice stood like glass, each one holding a memory, a visual of the past. Their sounds were nearly deafening as swords and shields clashed down upon wooden beaus. It was pure chaos, the lights, the sounds. The terrified cries.

Her eyes desperately searched through the tall panes, her body weaving between them like trees in a forest. Her heart pounding in her throat as she searched for her mother's visage. A sharp cry just from the corner of her eye turned her on her heel and what she saw stole the breath from her throat. A man no, a beast with large horns upon his head, cloaked in the darkness of battle stood tall above her mother, only the light of his chin to be seen as he raised his finger to his lips.

Then, her mother's own cry jolted her gaze, the man therein shifting away into the other panes. The sound crippling Elsa's heart as Iduna called out desperately for her own mother. The sound of which tore through Elsa's very soul. How much had her mother suffered before she was even a thought? So much she didn't know about her mother or where she had come from. Who she was, what she could have been?

As a child she never questioned her mother's origin, she never had a need to. Never once had her mother eluded to anything other than a perfectly harmonious lie that she lived inside the castle. It wasn't in a child's nature to be so interested in the past. It was only a child's wont to look to the future. To what joy tomorrow might bring.

A low rumble threatened the world she now stood in, the colors changing and shifting too fast to possibly process. She found herself turning with a point through the tall thin pillars, another sound, another voice calling out to her as she navigated the battle that would change not only her parent's lives forever but set in place her own destiny.

oOOo

The day passed by in such a muted blur. Anna had nothing of importance scheduled that day and had done her best to just enjoy the town. But it was different somehow. The people who had been so delighted by her youthful vigor as a princess now expressing themselves in a much more reserved manner. Their questions more serious than frivolous. Though a few had asked about her wedding plans not a single one of them had asked anything in regards to Elsa.

It hurt. It hurt down into the deepest part of her core that the people who had reveled in their former Queen's power seemed to have all forgotten her. As though she hadn't existed at all. But she did. She did exist... and she was one of the most important things in her world.

That night she found herself leaving the warmth of her own bed. Kristoff having snuck in after the maids and other attendants had all retired. He had held her close and listened to her talk about her day, even though he'd been right beside her though out. His assurances and his excuses for her people having calmed her heart enough to let her fall into a light slumber.

Though as soon as the moonlight had crested her windows she'd found herself awake once more. The deep longing in her chest rising her from bed to travel down the lush carpets to the room that now laid empty. Its closed door mocking her from afar.

Her hand rose to knock, an old habit that left another ache inside her chest. Her lips pursed tight when she forced her hand down taking the handle instead and pushed it open.

It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the darkness, the room sitting in complete shadow as the large triangular window faced the sun, not the moon. It was ironic really if she allowed herself to think about it. Elsa had always reminded her of the moon and yet for years, she was forced to wake to the sun. Even now, after Anna had taken the 'Queen's' rooms that her sister had never taken she found it odd in a discontent sort of way.

After the 'Great Freeze' her sister had moved into her own room for a time. Two beds, one heart. Like they were children all over again. The castle staff had whispered their curiosity but no one had ever questioned the Queen's choice. They all assumed that one day, the Queen would feel ready to sleep where her parents had. That day had never come. Rather, the abdicated Queen had returned to her childhood room while her sister took their parents room; leaving the room in the center open where Kristoff presently slept until their wedding night.

She came in cautiously, closing the door behind her silently as though her mere presence was somehow disturbing a sanctuary. While Elsa no longer kept herself locked away inside and she was always welcomed when she knocked, to enter it without her there felt... wrong.

As her eyes continued to adjust to the darkness, more and more of the beauty revealed itself. Soft white wood, deep blue perfectly made sheets. A desk and small bookcase filled with neatly stacked books and paper. A wardrobe and chair held high on the far wall. A large fireplace completely gated and spotless from years of no use. A modest vanity, its mirror turned curiously towards the wall. Everything at its place and everything in that place.

The pressure in her chest eased the further she came in, the weight in the room becoming less foreboding. Anna let her fingers run over the extremely soft duvet before turning to sit along the edge, her eyes raising up to look out the large window.

"Wow..." Stars, so many brilliantly shining stars glimmered back at her through the glass. Each one set against an inky black sky. It was truly breathtaking. It was no wonder that Elsa had taken an affinity to astronomy. If this had been her view for all those years.

Anna let her eyes drift down to the window seat, the very one she'd watched her sister grow up from. No matter how many times she'd seen it from this side of the glass, the memory of standing down below always over-shadowed it. A small glimmer of metal gave her mind something new to focus on and she found herself pushing away from the bed to examine it.

Her feet shifted oddly over the wood the closer she got and it took her a long moment to understand why. Leaning down, she pulled the small rug from in front of the seat, her heart pumping painfully in her chest at the sight. The wood beneath the rug had been worn away. So much so that it's color was completely different from that it adjoined to. A noticeable dip from the wear.

Her eyes rose back to the beautiful lattice window, no longer seeing it's craftsmanship but rather its oppression. Like bars on a prison cell, the freedom of the fjord and mountains just beyond tauntingly close but ever out of reach. It was at that moment she truly began to understand her sister's decision. Her desire to be free. How heavily the crown had sat upon her golden locks.

Could one truly be free if they were constantly held in the same place to which they started? Could she really have expected Elsa to just move on from a past that had affected them both so deeply? The castle had never felt like a prison to Anna, she had been given free rein over everything inside. While she lacked companionship she never lacked the freedom to go wherever she wanted.

It was this revelation that led to another heartbreaking piece to the puzzle that was her loving sister. Though the castle was more than large enough to house them both, only she had been free to move wherever she wanted.

Given the years where she'd hardly caught sight of her sister, it stood to reason that her own careless movements only further restricted Elsa's own. Wherever she had been, Elsa could not. How many times had they almost met before another door was placed between them? How many times had her recklessness kept her sister locked in her room with fear?

How many memories of this were held inside innocent stone walls? How many corners held the tears of a trembling child just trying to do the right thing?

Anna's tears fell silently down her cheeks as she turned the ink pen in her fingers. Her resistance and subtle play at trying to prove how incapable she was so that Elsa would choose to take back the throne all felt unbelievably torturous. How insufferable she must have seemed... Yet there she was, standing beside her, leading her down the right path. She never once got angry at her, perturbed maybe but never angry. Elsa never gave up on her. She loved her more deeply than she could ever understand. And yet, it was all there the whole time.

Anna raised her eyes once again to the starlit sky hidden behind iron and glass. Like a caged bird that had never known what it meant to fly. She had to let her go... She had to let her fly...

A small wipe to her nose steadied her soul and she carefully pushed herself back up. As she came to stand, she took note of the book that seemed to have fallen against the window. The one thing in the room out of place, it screamed at her to be read.

Taking the book was easy, pressing its softcover to her chest, not even a thought. She turned back to the bed, pulling down the covers before slipping inside. She rested the tome on her lap pausing to rest the pen on the bedside table before using the flint lighter to light the oil lamp that rested center.

With a solemn breath, she rested back against the pillows, her sister's scent instantly calming all the nerves in her body and making her eyelids feel so dreadfully heavy. Despite her body's desperate call for sleep, she opened the book in her lap somewhere near the middle. Her eyes going crossed at the extremely complex mathematical equations written within.

Another page revealed beautifully complex drawings of what Anna could only assume were planets or other astronomy-related things. Her brain turning much too quickly at the mere sight. She'd never been particularly gifted when it came to applying theoretical maths. No, her gifts lied with dates and historical events. Applicable maths for everyday use. Nothing like this.

"Black... sun?" Her vision grew darker as sleep crept ever closer, her fingers lightly tracing the drawing on the page before the entire journal slipped from her grasp. The heavy book sliding from her legs where it fell closed against soft sheets. The woman laid within letting out a deep sigh before pressing her face even deeper into the soft pillows that cradled her.


	5. Chapter 4

oO Ahtohollan Oo

_Run! Faster! Not enough! Go! The trees around bent and warped as Elsa did her very best to escape the fires roaring behind her. No longer standing on the outside of the memories to which she'd bore witness to but directly inside. The battlefield torn and haggard with the sounds of screams the likes of which she had never heard before. The call of children to their mothers, the sound of husbands looking for their wives. Pure Chaos._

_It was nothing like the fairy-tale version she'd been told when she was young. This was hell on earth and every single element present was bound and determined to wipe every living thing from the earth._

_Her heart pulsed, the dream so real she could actually feel the scorching heat along her cheeks. Her eyes awash with tears and her lungs tight with smoke. She turned, lost. No way out. Her entire body feeling as though the stone giants themselves were standing upon her shoulders._

_Then, a dark shadow appeared over a cliff's edge. Large antler's adorning their head reaching towards the sky like a demon's fingers. Her heart was sure to leave her any moment as she stared up into the featureless face of a man she somehow felt she knew but could not name. The call of another—a child— ringing in her ears. The deathly scream of a mother without her firstborn._

Elsa jolted into the waking world with a choking gasp. Though she had a resistance to the cold laying directly upon it was not very comforting to her lithe frame. Every muscle in her body screamed out in protest when she dragged her hands down to push herself from her stomach to her back. Another jolt of discomfort rocking her frame and screwing up her features.

Her dream still vibrating through her frame, leaving her without comfort. As though they weren't merely inside her mind but as though she had lived through them. It was an odd feeling for her normally clear and succinct thoughts. It truly felt as though she'd falling headfirst down a deep well and crashed at the bottom.

When Elsa finally managed to open her eyes, the world around her was gleaming with beams of sunlight. The tall pillars that had held such devastating memories, now clear and breathtaking in their natural states. She didn't remember falling asleep among the cries of war and perhaps—given her state of rest—she hadn't fallen asleep at all. With as much grace as she could manage, she made her way to her feet. Her throat raw and burning and her stomach quivering for sustenance.

The ice around seemed to glimmer and flicker in silent greeting as she carefully weaved her way through. Though the light that had accompanied her from before was not present. Hesitantly, she moved to where she believed she had come through. Her eyes still blurry from sleep. She made to rub at one of her eyes when a figure—a shadow—appeared just in front of the doorway to which she was headed.

Everything in her body jolted to a stop, her hand still raised as she furiously blinked to try and see the man clearly. Surely, it was a man based on the size and shape though his face was completely obscured. Though before she could call out or make any sort of movement towards them, they were gone. As though they'd never been there at all.

"I need to get out of here…" A small whisper to herself, her hands retreating from her face to wrap around her arms. The chill of the ice around her that hadn't bothered her before, bothered her now. A very unfamiliar and disquieting feeling.

With great care and sharp eyes, she pushed herself through the large archway. Though what she had expected she was not presented with. The corridor that had led her to the forest of ice was not before her now. Rather another path. A darker, deeper path.

She paused for a moment, looking back from where she came. Her heart torn between the two directions. She had sent word to the Northuldran leader Yelena that she would be arriving on the evening of the day before. Would they be concerned that she had not yet appeared? Would they send word to Anna somehow that she was not where she had intended to be? Would her sister send out the entire fleet in search of her?

She had promised…

_Promised_…

Another look down the dark passage turned her back into the forest of ice. Her head still fuzzy with fatigue that she could not identify and a frame sore and aching from laying in a crumpled heap upon frigid ice. She moved as quickly as she dared, her eyes scanning the tree line for the proper pathway to lead her out.

oO Northuldra Oo

"Honeymaren, I'd like for you to go to the beach, take Yanuk with you. You'll need your strength." Yelena stood as tall and strong as she ever was. Her keen eyes looking out into the forest, "Ryder, you shall take the path towards the cliffs over-hanging where the dam used to be." She turned slightly on her heel to address a man that could have been born of the trees given his height and build, "Applen, you shall take the path leading towards the Arendellian road. Though we had expected our guest to come last night. We cannot rule out that something may have delayed her. While I am not presently concerned. It would not do us well to leave her on her own, possibly in need of our assistance."

"Which one is it we're looking for again?" Applen asked a little sheepishly, he'd been out hunting when they had received their visitors from beyond the mist. He'd only heard the stories passed on about the Fifth Spirit coming back to the forest.

"The blonde one." Honeymaren interjected with a small chuckle, "Tall and thin, can't miss her. She's got skin the color of snow and a dress to match."

"Blonde one…Right. Looks likes snow. Shouldn't be too hard to spot in the winter." Applen grumbled, he wasn't meant for rescue missions. He was a warrior, a hunter. Not a babysitter. If the forest wanted to swallow up the new Fifth Spirit who was he to say no?

"Oh don't be so grumpy Apps, once we get back you'll be able to go back into your little mud-hole." Ryder snickered and ducked the swing of Applen's large club-like staff.

"Don't call me 'Apps'. It's Applen. Say it with my now, Ap-len." The large man grumbled as the young man chuckled off his frustration, "Insolent little pup."

"Enough." Yelena gave a warning glare to Ryder, who immediately straightened and tried to keep the laughter off his face, "Go now. If you have nothing by mid-day return to camp."

A chorus of, 'Yes, ma'ams' sent them all in their various directions. The elder woman turned to look up into the tall trees. Her eyes closing as she tried to listen for any words of wisdom from the spirits. All around seemed to be calm, the wind gently blowing through the trees, the river nearby softly trickling away. The earth giants slumbering the day away. The fire crackling under an iron pot.

A soft chittering noise raised her brow and lowered her head. The small fire spirit having come from the forest to gently run it's heated body around Yelena's ankles, "What do you know?"

The little salamander merely smiled its goofy smile and rolled onto its back for affection. The sage woman shook her head before lowering herself down. Her aged fingers gently rubbing the spirit's tender belly, "Which way shall she arrive?"

The little creature chittered happily rolling back onto its feet. A small full-body shake gave way to a small flare of fire as the spirit dashed off through the tracks left behind by Honeymaren. Yelena smiled to herself as she came back to her feet, idly resting against her staff, "Excellent."

oO Ahtohollan Oo

Elsa groaned softly as she climbed her way up through the narrow cavern. The bright light of day shining down from the entranceway seemed to grow farther yet nearer with every step. Her path through the icy glacier had felt like a maze with changing walls. Only furthering the weight that pulled her body with fatigue that she had never known. Her head was beginning to ache now. It was an odd feeling that left her toned frame expressing its need for nutrients.

"Just a little farther…" A soft, stubborn mumble passed her lips as she pushed herself forward. The doorway ahead letting in a soft sea breeze to lift her spirits. As soon as she'd breached the threshold she let herself sag down to her knees with relief. Her head falling back to let the warm winter sunbathe her skin in its brilliant light.

oO Enchanted Forest Oo

"Okay, Yanuk. How about this? 'Hello, my name's Honeymaren. We met before? You know by the fireside. We sang a lullaby together and then I invited you to stay with us here in Northuldra and then you left for a while but now you're coming back!'" Honeymaren cringed as her words tumbled out without an ounce of control or grace. The reindeer beneath her even snorted in response shaking its head in the semblance of a chuckle, "Too much?"

She sighed and groaned, pressing her palms into her eyes, "I just…want to make a good impression you know?" Honeymaren whined leaning down to catch the reindeer's eye, "I mean that's all we get right? One? I just…ugh…" She grunted and leaned back as the reindeer continued to walk on, "Why can't I think of anything but her impossibly soft hands…."

Once more Yanuk grunted in response, making the young herder narrow her eyes, "Language mister."

Another heavy sigh left her chest as she looked on through the decreasing trees, the soft smell of the sea starting to be carried along the wind. Her eyes looked out at the beautiful pristine plains of snow before her. So perfect, so beautiful, so white...Her thoughts drifted again and she let out a sharp grunt of frustration, "This isn't natural! I met her for a total of like….forty minutes! I can't have a crush on her already!"

As though in response to her exclamation, the wind whipped up around her, small flakes of snow caught in its grasp. Honeymaren shielded her head for a moment as the soft flakes seemed to caress her features before pulling away once more to run through the fresh powder, leaving behind a small trail of sorts for her to follow. "Wind spirit? Is that you?"

A soft twinkling through the snow-capped trees came as a response and she smiled brightly, "It is! Do you know where she is?"

Attention fully gathered, she took hold of the reins properly and narrowed her eyes through the glaring sun. The path she was sure she was meant to take shadowed perfectly, "Come on Yanuk, yip-yip!"

oO Arendelle Oo

_"Elsa? Elsa where are you?" Anna's voice carried eerily along the walls of her distorted home. The paintings and other beautiful adornments twisting and warping with every turn she made. Her heart hammering in her chest as she desperately searched for her sister. _

_Turn after turn she took, with only a fleeting glance around each corner. A soft silhouette of a diaphanous train, or the wisp of sun gold hair. The faster she tried to run, the further away Elsa seemed to be. _

"Queen Anna?"

_"Anna!"_

_"Elsa! Where are you?!" _

"Your majesty?"

_"Elsa!" _

Anna jolted to the feeling of a firm hand along her arm, her face wet with tears and her heart racing as though she'd actually been running down the halls of her home. A dark silhouette appeared in front of her and she squeaked softly before bolting straight up in the bed. The book from the night before falling from the tossed covers.

"Gerda! Oh, my goodness you scared me!" Anna put her hand to her chest, her eyes still wide as she tried to take in enough air to keep her head from pounding any harder than it was.

"So sorry about that, your majesty." Gerda responded kindly though she'd already begun pulling the sheets away from the bed, "It's well past the time you needed to be up, if you hurry I think your bathwater will still be warm."

"Thank you…thank you…" Anna muttered as she pushed herself clumsily to her feet, her body aching in ways she didn't expect.

She hastily ran a hand through her hair as she turned towards the door leading to where her bathroom door would have been having completely forgotten that she'd stayed in Elsa's room the previous night. There was a small murmuring of confusion before her brain finally supplied her with the information she needed and she was once more rushing towards the door leading out into the hallway.

Unfortunately, her bathwater had not retained as much heat as she would have liked though it had provided her with a very clear head to take on the day's tasks. In no time, she'd scarfed down a moderate breakfast, caught up with Kristoff and Olaf who were about to make a run to the North Mountain for more ice, and had herself dressed and ready to receive the guests that had just docked in the harbor. Her nightmare quickly turning into nothing more than a faded memory.

oO Dark Sea Coast Oo

The wind blew wonderfully, dancing through Honeymaren's long braided locks raising and dropping her braid in a sort of playful keep away. She reached up towards the sky as the wind spirit continued it's dance around her limbs before a small glimmer over the edge of the water finally caught the herder's attention.

"Is that…?" Half-amazed and half in shock, Honeymaren pushed herself away from resting against her reindeer and onto her feet. The small stones along the beach crunching under her boots as she shielded her eyes to look out better over the gentle waves, "No way…"

As the figure grew closer-riding atop the waves, her back straightened up. Her mind quickly running through all the things she'd practiced to say when she met the Fifth Spirit once again. Her heart fluttered excitedly as the large water spirit came to a gentle stop just at the water's edge, the beautiful woman atop his back slipping down to the stones.

"Wow…"

Elsa blushed softly, as she settled her feet into the stones of the beach. She hadn't expected to meet anyone along the way but the sight of the woman before her instantly sparked her memory. Her name instantly coming to the front of her mind. Though before she could speak to greet her, the younger stuttered first.

"Ah! Right, Hi! Uh-Hello, my name's Ho-Honeymaren and I'm here to escort you back to the village!" Honeymaren could have curled herself up in a rabbit's burrow at her poorly delivered words. Her voice rising and falling as though she was nothing but a child excited to see a baby reindeer for the first time.

"It's a pleasure to see you again," Elsa inclined her head politely, her shoulders straightening despite the fatigue that threatened to pull her down to the stones, "Please," She took a small step closer towards the pair, her eyes turning towards Yanuk before reaching out to rub his muzzle, "Lead the way."

"It's a bit of a long walk…" Honeymaren started, her eyes lowering to the hand that gave her reindeer a touch of affection, the latter easily milking it for all it was worth by nuzzling his head just a bit closer, "I rode here so you're welcome to ride Yanuk if you want or we could ride…together?" She sucked in air as the last of her sentence tumbled free, desperately hoping inside that the Queen would want to ride together.

"I've never ridden on a reindeer before," A slow smile grew over Elsa's lips, her eyes sparkling with the idea of trying something new, "You'll definitely have to help me."

"Yep, I can do that." Honeymaren let her shoulders fall and she took a deep breath to calm herself. A small adjustment brought her closer and she could almost smell the taste of winter on her tongue, "Okay, just climb on up,"

Honeymaren knelt down in the stones offering the palms of her hands as a means to step up onto the reindeer, though to her surprise the Queen was easily able to pull herself up without any aid. A smirk curled the corner of her lips as the blond attempted to settle onto the reindeer's back, "A little more forward, that's it. Go ahead and take the handholds on the harness there." Honeymaren pushed herself up as soon as she'd finished, her body easily falling into place right behind the taller woman's but maintaining a polite distance between them. She glanced around the blond's shoulder making sure she had a good grip.

"Okay don't squeeze your legs too tight, here we go." Honeymaren reached around slowly, her hands bumping slightly with the Spirit's before moving out of the way to rest just beside the handholds. Another hissing breath left her throat as she gave a gentle pull, "Yanuk? Home, yip yip."

oOo

The ride back to the village was relatively peaceful. The Northuldran woman having reclaimed her normally calm demeanor as she took the time to talk about the lands they passed along the way. Her confidence regrowing as she answered every inquisitive question.

Slowly, however, the questions being asked became softer and softer causing Honeymaren to have to lean into the woman in front of her to hear. She'd not even noticed that she'd done so until the soft blond hair wafted along the wind beneath her chin. She cleared her throat a little as she directed them down a small slope ready to begin another story when the softest of hums filled the air.

Curious, she leaned herself around just enough to try and see the Spirit's face. Her brows rose as she watched the blond's head slowly lower down until her chin was resting against her own chest, her eyes closed and her brows beginning to relax. Though she remained sitting up, her shoulders had begun to droop as well, leaving her to bend her normally perfectly straight back.

Honeymaren smiled to herself, a small chuckle bubbling up the back of her throat as she pushed herself just a bit closer to keep the taller woman from sliding off, her hands coming to gently press over the ones that had gone lax over the handholds.

"Don't worry, I've got you." She whispered into the soft breeze, her eyes turning forward once more as she turned onto a well-worn herding path that she knew would lead them both home.


End file.
